Clients get rude or angry for a variety of reasons—some justified, some not. But since you’re in the home-services industry and it’s your primary purpose to serve people, you’ll likely encounter rude or angry individuals at one time or another. How you respond can make the difference between a client who feels satisfied with the resolution and one who vows never to patronize your business again.
Here are 6 tips for dealing with even the angriest clients.
1. There’s Power in a Name
It is extremely powerful to continually interject a caller’s name. Addressing your client with, “I’m sorry ma’am,” for example, sounds a lot more formal—and much less sincere than, “I’m so sorry, Cheryl.” Once you use a name, you’re suddenly speaking with a real person—a client who has a job and a life and a legitimate reason behind his or her frustration, rather than a faceless “ma’am.”
Sample phrases:
“Cheryl, I’ll get right on that!”
“Cheryl, I’m going to help you get this resolved today.”
“That’s OK, Cheryl—I’m looking up the information now.”
Just be sure when you say their name, to watch your tone. Your client can pick up when you are being sincere or not.
2. Smile When You Talk
When a client starts yelling or being otherwise rude, there is nothing to be gained by responding in a similar manner. In fact, that will probably escalate hostilities. Maintain control of yourself, even if the client’s tirade makes you feel like yelling. Donning a pleasant expression immediately helps your voice convey friendliness and openness. Staying straight-faced, on the other hand, immediately removes that kindness from your voice. You can easily hear more of a strain—indicating that you don’t really want to be talking to this person right now (which, no matter how true that may be, isn’t how you should want to come across).
You’ll probably feel silly, and in the case of angry clients, you might have to fake it—but forcing a smile does wonders when it comes to calming someone down.
3. Connect with Your Audience
Develop the ability to gauge your audience on the phone and figure out exactly how to connect with him or her. Your task-oriented people want to get straight to the point. Your people-oriented customers, on the other hand, often want to exchange pleasantries and chit-chat a bit before addressing the issue.
Beyond behavioral preferences, though, it’s about picking up on the tone, knowledge, and personality of the person you’re talking to. Some customers have high technical knowledge; some need high-level explanations. Some need extra reassurance that things are going to be OK; others don’t want to waste time unless you can offer a solution on the spot.
This kind of mirroring can help you connect better with your clients; they’ll feel more like you truly understand what they’re saying—and that will help them be more open to your assistance.
4. Hit the Mute Button
Let the client vent when they need to. Put your phone on mute (so the client doesn’t hear the background noise in your office or use a headset) and just listen. Don’t try to interject with a solution or even interrupt with clarifying questions.
Often, clients are looking to release their frustration. It’s not exactly fun to be subject to it—but it’s part of the job. By giving the client full rein over the conversation for the first few minutes helps him or her get out those frustrations, blow off some steam, and eventually, be able to focus on getting to a resolution.
5. Find a Solution
Once you understand why the client is unhappy, it is time to offer a solution. Ask him what he feels should be done or put forward your own fair and realistic answer to the problem. In most cases, that’s all the client is looking for—and may result in providing some degree of satisfaction.
6. Take a Few Minutes on Your Own
After the situation has been resolved and you’re away from the client, it’s helpful for you to take your own “time-out.” Even if you’ve handled the situation in the most professional way possible, it’s still a stressful experience. Rather than let stress linger inside you, take a short walk, treat yourself to a snack, or find someone to talk to who makes you laugh. Then you’ll be ready to once again engage with clients.
Talking to a dissatisfied client will never be easy, but by using these techniques to put your customers at ease and show them that you want to help, you’ll get to a resolution much quicker.